The first quarter statistics for boat sales in WA state are in.

We are in a "full employment" economy in most portions of the state,
the stock market is going through the roof, so it would seem like a
time when consumer confidence would be high and people would be buying
boats. Not so.

Boat sales are down. Overall, new boat sales are off 16% from last
year, and if a big rise in PWC sales (go figure) is factored out the
drop is probably closer to 19-20%. Just think what the drop would have
been if this were a recession year.

One statistic that is notable is that the average transaction price,
with everything from $1000 dinghies to $Xmm motoryachts factored in,
is up substantially. It would seem any fears that the "little guy"
will be the first to be driven from boating by higher fuel prices are
probably well founded. In fact, that average transaction price is up
something like 40% from where it was just five years ago.

A good synopsis c&p from an email:


The 1st quarter boat sales data for Washington State are in and the
figures are now posted on the NMTA web site. Members can compare the
quarter's sales numbers to those of the last five years!

Some interesting facts from the 1st Quarter Data include:

Across the state, new boat sales by dealers were down 16 percent in
units
Despite the overall drop, new PWC sales were up 52 percent (116 units
in 2007 compared to 76 units last year)
Comparison of the average price of a new boat sold by a dealer during
the 1st Quarter:
2003: $32,064
2004: $34,046 (+6%)
2005: $38,129 (+12%)
2006: $41,183 (+8%)
2007: $46,168 (+12%)